Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
