It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
