It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
