Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
