It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
