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Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre 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 remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

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

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”