Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “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 loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
