It has been two decades after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
