Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
