Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring 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 greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”