It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. 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, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
