Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
