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Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved 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 freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”