Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
