It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
