Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – 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 customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed 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 the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
