It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, 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.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
