Guitar Hero Turns 20 – How a Plastic Axe Bridged Generations Among Music Fans

It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.

Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”