It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
