Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
