It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the 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. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
