It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were 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 via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
