It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
