Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt 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 almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
