Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with 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 Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
