It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
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 that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
