It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated 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, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when 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 we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”