Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song 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. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to 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,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive 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 DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
