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It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”