Guitar Hero Turns 20 – The Plastic Guitar That United Generations Among Music Fans

It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention 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 offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously completed 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 recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”