It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
