Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
