It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, 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 the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
