It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
