Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
