Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
