Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt 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 similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
