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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.

The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, 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 kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past 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 musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”