Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
