Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
