It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, 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 original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
