It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer 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 offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
