Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song 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 even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
