It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
