🔗 Share this article

Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.

The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”