Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
