It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
