It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
