Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
