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It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”