🔗 Share this article

Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence

Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”