It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
