Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
