It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or 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,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
