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Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

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

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to 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,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, 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.

Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?

“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant 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.”