Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already 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 series which made a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
