It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
