It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
