It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created 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 corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “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 via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
