🔗 Share this article

It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before 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 screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”