Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators 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 might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
