Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
