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Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”