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Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game 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 when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”