The Iconic Game Celebrates 20 Years – The Plastic Guitar That Bridged the Gap Between Rock Generations

Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning 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 on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”