It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously 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 remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
