It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
