It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed 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 Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
