It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
