It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
