Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others 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, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into 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 were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
