It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational 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 Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
