Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
