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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, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact

Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of 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. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay 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 claimed it took nine months of practice.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”