The Iconic Game Turns 20 – How a Plastic Axe United Generations Between Rock Generations

It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – 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 was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact

Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”