Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s 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 mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
