It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge 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 between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
