It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
