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Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”