🔗 Share this article

Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”