🔗 Share this article

It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – 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, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – 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

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.

Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”