Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
