It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy.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 Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
