It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
