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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”