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Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved 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 mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”