Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”