Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls 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 explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play 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 evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
