It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being 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 participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher 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 Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
