It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
