Marking two decades after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains 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 performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
