It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts 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 associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback 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 founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
