It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
