It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it 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 aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was 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 spin-offs such as 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.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
