It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
