Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
