It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “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 in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
