It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires 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 on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including 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 died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
