Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them 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 right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
