It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero 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 had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were 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, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
