Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
