It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
