Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
