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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”