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

Marking two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.

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

The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”