It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
