It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
