It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, 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 kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
