Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
