It has been two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among 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 a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
