It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
