Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
