It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
