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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”