It has been two decades since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact 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 financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
