It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
