It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song 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 hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
