Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
