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It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”