Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational 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 recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
