It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring 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 increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
