Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to 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”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly 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 urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
