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Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. 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 took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles 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 for future fans.”