Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in 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 to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got 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, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
