Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “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 loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
