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It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone 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 coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.

The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”