It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable 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 early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best 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 trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
