Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” 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 with new generations.”
