Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
