Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity 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 crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 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 continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires 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 rock star 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 participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
