Marking two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “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 were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
