Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
