It has been two decades after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. 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.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
