Marking two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
