Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American 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,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
