It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
