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It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”