It has been two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero 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 specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery 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 sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
