It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
