It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
