Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
