It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
