Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
