🔗 Share this article

Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”