Guitar Hero at 20 – The Plastic Guitar That United the Gap Among Rock Generations

Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.

The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

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

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, 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 felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”