🔗 Share this article

It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.

The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”