It has been two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
