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It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.

The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact

Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”