It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
