It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
