It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
