Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
