Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles 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 more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it 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 rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
