Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
