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Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.

The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”