Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with 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 sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved 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 allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
