Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire 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, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
