It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already 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 remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
