It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when 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. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases 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 its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
