🔗 Share this article

It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt 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 even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”