Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded 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 the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
