It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
