It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
