It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
