Guitar Hero Celebrates 20 Years – How a Plastic Axe Bridged Generations Between Rock Generations

It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.

The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”