Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
