Marking two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as 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.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”