Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
