It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
