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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.

The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production 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 the classic?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”