It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased 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 Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
