Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me 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.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
