It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs 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 a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
