Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
