It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
