It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums 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 risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
