Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
