Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, 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 all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
