It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already 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 recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
