It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving 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 risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
