Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
