Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video 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. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
