It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
