Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. 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% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt 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 glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
