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Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”

At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”