Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
