It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
