Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
