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It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire 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, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles 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 entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”