It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games 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 series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US 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 and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
