It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
