Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
