It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having 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. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
