Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
