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Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, 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.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.

DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey 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 cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”