It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, 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 because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy.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 remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
