It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
