It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
