Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
