It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
