It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
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 revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
