Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
