It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
