It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“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 pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
