Marking two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
