Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique 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 cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
