It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer 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 path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
