It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “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 Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
