It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
