Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, 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, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on 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 compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
