It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators 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 where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
