It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
