Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
