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It has been two decades since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – 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, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”