It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, 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 listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. 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 do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
