It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
