It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
