It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
