It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
