It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
