It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” 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 human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”