Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once 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 reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
