It has been two decades after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months 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 enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
