It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
