Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed 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 song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
