Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, 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 the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star 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”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
