🔗 Share this article

It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

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

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”