It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, 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 of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement 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 their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
