It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later 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 musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by 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 performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
