Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were 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 from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
