Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
