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It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of 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 became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician 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 a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.

Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”