Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
