It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with 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 we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
