It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – 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, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
