It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
