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Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen 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 purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, 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 Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, 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 newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”