Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
