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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”