🔗 Share this article

Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights 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 fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames 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 shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”