Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
