It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series 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 of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
