It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
