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Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation 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 established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”