Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. 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 in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
