Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure 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 thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
