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Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”