Guitar Hero at 20 – How a Plastic Axe Connected the Gap Between Rock Generations

It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers 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 update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”