Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
