Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
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 back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”