It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs 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 short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
