It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
