It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
