It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
