Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
