Guitar Hero at 20 – The Plastic Guitar That Connected the Gap Among Rock Fans

Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”