Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
