It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so the game 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 the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, 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 shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
