Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
