It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
