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Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song since 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 the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals 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 sold more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.

The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”