Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
