It has been two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
