🔗 Share this article

Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism 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 no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”