Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
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 promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
