Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, 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 risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
