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Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”