Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
