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It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “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 creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”