Marking two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”