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It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”