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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including 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 the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”