Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing 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 publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
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 provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
