It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement 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 their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
