Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
