It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge 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 half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
