It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
