Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
