It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
