🔗 Share this article

Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.

Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”