It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
