Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
