Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on 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 to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
