Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero 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 someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “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 there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
