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Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. 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, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, 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 hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire 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 from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”