Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
