It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
