It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. 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 completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
