Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept 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 pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
