Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand 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 series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on 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 quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
