It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented 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 massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
