It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
