Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
