It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique 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 automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
