It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” 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 allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
