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Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Titles Enduring Influence

Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by 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 performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”