It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer 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 ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
