It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
