It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
