Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers 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 dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, 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 music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
