Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
