Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
