Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display 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 before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
