It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring 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 mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
