Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
