It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
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 promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
