It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
