It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
