🔗 Share this article

It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, 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 expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” 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 make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”