It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. 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 alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
