It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales 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 expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
