It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed 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 in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
