Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
