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It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”