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Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”