It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
