Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
