Marking two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime 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 introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
