It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
