Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single 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 ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
