It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
