Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
