🔗 Share this article

Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”

At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller

The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”