Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, 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 in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
