It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. 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 participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
