Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane 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 be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies 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 among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
