Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
