It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of 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 Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, 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 and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
