Marking two decades after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved 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 similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
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 was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
