It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
