It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed 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,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
