Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer 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 almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
