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Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into 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 just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”