It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
