Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game 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 were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals 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 copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
