Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when 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 records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
