It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that 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 match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so 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 from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, 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 a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
