It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects 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 thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and 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, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
