🔗 Share this article

Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”