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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Influence

Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like 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 its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”