It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
