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It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”