It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
