Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
