It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
