Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen 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, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
