Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when 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 like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
