Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
