It has been two decades since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including 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 newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
