Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology 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 spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
