Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”