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Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “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 evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”

At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”