Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
