It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
