Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
