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It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.

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

The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. 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. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”