It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just 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”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders 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 similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
