Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
