It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
