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It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero 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 – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”