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Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Influence

Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller

The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”