It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
