It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
