Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
