It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting 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, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments 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 Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
