Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
