It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
