🔗 Share this article

It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”