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Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having 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 fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?

“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”