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Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many 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 a New Audience

Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?

“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”