Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
