Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs 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 several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
