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Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “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 from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”