Marking two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
