Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved 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 mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging 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 stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners 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. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
