Guitar Hero Turns 20 – How a Plastic Axe United the Gap Between Rock Fans

It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”