It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically 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 was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
