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Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. 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 to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”