Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
