It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single 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, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
