Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with 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 played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
