It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
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 the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
