It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
