It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
