Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video 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 being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, 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. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
