It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
