Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
