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It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Titles Enduring Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller

The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of 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, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”