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Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.

The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”