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It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

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

“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”