It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing 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 the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
