Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen 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 earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
