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It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.

The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only 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 Impact of a Iconic Controller

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”