It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed 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. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related 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 studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
