Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, 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 specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
