Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity 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 in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first 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 those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
