It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
