It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “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 became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
