It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“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 bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement 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 their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
