Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. 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. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
