It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, 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 increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
