It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
