Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, 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 risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
