It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”