Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
