It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
