It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
