It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be 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 as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
