🔗 Share this article

Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”