Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
