It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
