It has been two decades after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt 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 mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were 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 via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments 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 such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
