Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
