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It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says 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 made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”