Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” 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 risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
