Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game 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 thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
