It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
