Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out 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, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”