Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
