It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
