Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat 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 similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
