Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
