It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on 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, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
