Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
