It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions 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 took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” 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 persist for future fans.”
