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Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, 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 installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”