It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
