It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
