Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as 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 remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
