It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and 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 among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
