Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits 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 included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
