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Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”