Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
