Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. 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 became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
