It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked 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 the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names 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 associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, 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 Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”