Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band 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 thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough 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 difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
