It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon 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 related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
