It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
