Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
