🔗 Share this article

It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”