Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, 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 initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. 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 update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”