Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon 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 enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
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 in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
