Marking two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires 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 on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
