It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher 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 ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
