It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “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 became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
