It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song 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 claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
