It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up 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 remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators 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. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
