It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
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 music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “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 use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
