Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
