It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star 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 allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” 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.”
