Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill 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 use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
