Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run 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 selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
