It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals 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 more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
