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Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, 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 but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”