It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
