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It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like 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, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”