It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, 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 well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label 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 at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own 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, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
