It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
