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It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

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

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”