It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy 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 tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
