Keen observers of the gaming and music industry noticed a big announcement in late January. According to music mag LoudWire, Guitar Hero is set to put another game in the pipeworks following Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of ActivisionBlizzard. With the game on hiatus since 2015, and live servers shut down in 2020, this is music to the ears of music lovers and, indeed, Guitar Hero lovers. Guitar Hero was a transformative concept on its release, pairing unique peripherals with a fun arcade style that made for great cooperative play. For this reason, Guitar Hero may be the ideal candidate for making the jump to streaming.
Developing skill
The reason streamers are so popular is largely down to their personality, but there’s also a significant element of skill. As WhatNerd outlines, stream viewers gain new skills from watching their favorites, or at least are able to watch amazing plays that they don’t see in their games everyday – something to be respected. Some of the greatest guitar hero players have a background in music themselves, having learned to play stringed instruments whether that be the guitar, bass or even ukulele. This piece of the puzzle makes Guitar Hero players likely to pull in big numbers on stream – the skill is right there to be seen, often at frightening speeds.
Providing the personality
Personality is obviously a huge part of the streaming world. Interaction with stream chat gives streamers the opportunity to connect with fans, and fans the chance to feel like they’re part of the life of the streamer and an important part of the story. Guitar Hero players are likely to be quite charismatic in themselves; the music industry lends that, and the moves and flourishes that see particularly difficult tracks (Through The Fire And Flames, anyone?) have a distinct way of progressing that will certainly lend a flavor to any stream.
Doing something new
The biggest games and titles typically dominate viewer counts, but it’s only a handful of streamers who attract the big viewer numbers. It’s the smaller channels, providing unique content, that will often spark viral trends, create the new crazes, and generally provide more content, at a high quality, for the platform. Guitar Hero has been out of action for years, but there’s a strong contingent of gamers who are starting to lean into the retro scene who will certainly enjoy seeing it back on major platforms. Similarly, new streamers and enthusiasts will adore any chance to enjoy new content.
There will be some setup cost. A good computer is needed for streaming – most of the larger streamers use one PC to process their stream and capture, and another to actually play the game. Furthermore, peripheral setup will be necessary with the instruments – especially if branching out into Rock Band. With the nostalgic glow that Guitar Hero has, however, and new titles in the pipeline, it’s set for a huge comeback.
