It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted 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, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
