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It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”