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It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”

At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders 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 between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”