🔗 Share this article

It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved 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 the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.

Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”