It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
