It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with 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 as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
