Guitar Hero Turns 20 – The Plastic Guitar That Bridged the Gap Between Music Generations

Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.

DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.

Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”