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Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.

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 informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”