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It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”