It has been two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game 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.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
