It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
