It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
