Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs 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 completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
