It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon 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 do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
