It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
