It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
