Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive 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 claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders 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 half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
