It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
