Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. 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 almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
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 a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
