Marking two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
