Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
