It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – 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 difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
