It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
