Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of 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 as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
