It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
