🔗 Share this article

Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.

The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.

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

“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, 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 the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when 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 we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”