It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. 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, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available 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 on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked 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 I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
