Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
