Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when 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 rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only 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”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
