Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed 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 specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “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 our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
