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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”