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Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time 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 the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game offers a, 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 had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”