Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others 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, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
