Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
