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It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”

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

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, so the game 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 the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”