It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer 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 dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
