Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure 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 the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat 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 gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
