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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first 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 allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”