It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
