Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. 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 sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
