It has been two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“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,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. 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 another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
