🔗 Share this article

Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”

At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.

The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.

Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”