Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
