It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought 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, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
