Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
