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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”