It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
