It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for 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 and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only 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 Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon 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 came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
