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Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”