Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”