Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game 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. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while 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, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
